Windows Mobile 6.5 review: Saving steam for seven

The OS is half a phone's worth and there's little wonder everyone is trying to make it the better half. In the case of Windows Mobile the emphasis really is on everyone. Version 6.5 is up and running but is it the upgrade everyone was waiting for?

The better part of the Windows Mobile 6.5 army

You don't get to see OS reviews on our homepage too often, but this is such an eagerly awaited release that we just have to see if it lives up to the hype. Windows Mobile did need a design and usability overhaul - and you don't have to trust us on that. Go check out what HTC, Samsung and SPB have been doing about it. Alright, Microsoft must've thought it's about time they did something too.

Rumors of a new WinMo release started to fly just about this time last year, but it was not until a few months later that the official confirmation was finally out. Meanwhile, the inevitable leaks were rather quick to tone down the premature enthusiasm of PocketPC buffs.

It seemed at that point that the changes introduced by the WinMo 6.5 were almost nonexistent. Well, early leaks have never been real trustworthy stuff, so as soon as there was official word from Microsoft part of the excitement started to return.

Promises of increased user-friendliness, better browsing and an app store were made and it once again seemed the 6.5 could be the thing everyone was waiting for. And those leaked screenshots were pretty neat too.

Truth be told, we were still pretty skeptical at that point but seeing manufacturers all eager to hop on the bandwagon made us hopeful again. At the time of the official release of Windows Mobile 6.5, four major manufacturers had already announced handsets that were either shipping with the new OS or eligible for a free upgrade.

We even took a couple of them for a spin already and if you have been keeping track you'd probably know what to expect from this article. The Samsung I8000 Omnia II was indeed an inspiring performer but there's no escaping the fact that a large part of its charm was in hardware (mostly the magnificent 3.7" AMOLED display and the fast CPU). From a software point of view we're more impressed with TouchWiz rather than WinMo 6.5. Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 didn't manage to win our hearts completely but still had a trick or two up its sleeve.

So now, we're bringing the Windows Mobile out of its third-party guises and focusing on the upgrades 6.5 claims to carry. What we've seen so far tells us the massive overhaul has been postponed. But let's see if the changes are enough to buy Microsoft time to bring WinMo 7 as close to perfection as possible.

Windows Mobile 6.5 startup sceren

It is a hard enough task now that the competition is keener than ever to bite off massive chunks of the WinMo market. So, even if Windows Mobile 6.5 doesn't convert new believers it should at least be able to stand its ground against overly-ambitious newbies. Android, Symbian S60 touch, WebOS and Mac OS X are all much younger than the WinMo platform but their rapid rise must've got Redmond by surprise.

Join us on the next page to see how Microsoft are trying to respond. And is 6.5 their way to play defense or are they keen to counter-attack.

If you are into web browsing on your mobile phone you will certainly appreciate this. The world's most popular search engine Google has introduced some advanced search options to its mobile version, bringing it another step closer to its desktop counterpart.

Those search options allow the users to choose the time frame for the search results, perform dedicated forum and review searches, and decide on the amount of images to be displayed. The options are surely not as many as those in the desktop version but it's still a pretty good start.

Filtering your Google mobile search results

As of now the search options are only available on smartphones, running on the Android OS and WebOS and the Apple iPhone. Windows Mobile, BlackBerry OS and Symbian support is not too far away though.

Meanwhile, the Google dev team has another update coming up to its beloved Android. The lucky fellas who have been able to get their 1.6 Donut upgrade will be able to enjoy the services of the so-called "Quick Search Box" (QSB). In its essence it combines a phone search tool with a google search box to even outweigh what Spotlight search on the iPhone has.

The Android QSB provides one single search box to let you search content on your phone, including apps, contacts, and browser history, as well as content from the web, like personalized search suggestions, local business listings, stock quotes, weather, and flight status, all without opening the browser.

Putting the Quick search box to use

What's even better is that the revamped QSB uses your search history to optimize the search results (by moving the items you use the most higher on the suggestions list).

The microphone icon next to the search box can be used for quick initiation of voice searches and voice dialing. Currently there's only support for English commands and search queries but that might as well change in the future.

LG GD510 Pop green nature revealed, even has solar charging

Today, LG officially announced the LG GD510 Pop … again. This time they gave green light to the in-depth explanation of the Pop's eco-friendly nature.

So what is all this fuss about? According to the new info, the GD510 Pop is an environmentally conscious phone from the ground up - starting with the materials used, going through the production process and ending with the product disposal.

The LG GD510 Pop packaging is made from recycled paper with soy ink printing. The battery charger cuts off power supply once the phone is fully charged, while the phone alerts the user to unplug the charger.

Pre-installed applications like Eco-tree and Eco-calculator under the phone's CO2 menu allow people to track how much they have reduced CO2 emissions just by taking the train instead the car, for instance.

LG GD510 Pop

The most important eco feature of the LG Pop however is its optional solar-powered battery cover that uses the power of the sun to charge the phone. According to the official information, it appears to be more efficient than the oneof its rival Samsung Blue Earth. Ten minutes of sunlight exposure should provide the LG Pop user with up to 2 minutes 15 seconds of talk time or up to 180 minutes of standby time - that's impressively efficient.

But turning our attention aside from the eco nature of the Pop, the new LG touch phone is also impressive design-wise - with a thickness of only 11.2mm.

While we're quite fascinated by the single receiver key design, we still can't figure out how you're supposed to reject an incoming call with it.

Specs-wise it has been confirmed that the phone will not have 3G support, but the rest of the specifications remain the same: 3" WQVGA resistive TFT display, 3 MP camera with fixed focus and video recording, Bluetooth, microUSB slot, and FM radio - not much different than LG Cookie.

The LG GD510 will be available in Europe beginning in mid-October (which means right about now), with other markets following soon. The solar panel battery cover will be sold as an optional accessory and its price (much like the price of the LG Pop itself) will be market and region dependent.

Today, LG officially announced the LG GD510 Pop … again. This time they gave green light to the in-depth explanation of the Pop's eco-friendly nature.

So what is all this fuss about? According to the new info, the GD510 Pop is an environmentally conscious phone from the ground up - starting with the materials used, going through the production process and ending with the product disposal.

The LG GD510 Pop packaging is made from recycled paper with soy ink printing. The battery charger cuts off power supply once the phone is fully charged, while the phone alerts the user to unplug the charger.

Pre-installed applications like Eco-tree and Eco-calculator under the phone's CO2 menu allow people to track how much they have reduced CO2 emissions just by taking the train instead the car, for instance.

LG GD510 Pop

The most important eco feature of the LG Pop however is its optional solar-powered battery cover that uses the power of the sun to charge the phone. According to the official information, it appears to be more efficient than the oneof its rival Samsung Blue Earth. Ten minutes of sunlight exposure should provide the LG Pop user with up to 2 minutes 15 seconds of talk time or up to 180 minutes of standby time - that's impressively efficient.

But turning our attention aside from the eco nature of the Pop, the new LG touch phone is also impressive design-wise - with a thickness of only 11.2mm.

While we're quite fascinated by the single receiver key design, we still can't figure out how you're supposed to reject an incoming call with it.

Specs-wise it has been confirmed that the phone will not have 3G support, but the rest of the specifications remain the same: 3" WQVGA resistive TFT display, 3 MP camera with fixed focus and video recording, Bluetooth, microUSB slot, and FM radio - not much different than LG Cookie.

The LG GD510 will be available in Europe beginning in mid-October (which means right about now), with other markets following soon. The solar panel battery cover will be sold as an optional accessory and its price (much like the price of the LG Pop itself) will be market and region dependent.

Ovi Suite 2.0 makes it out of beta status - Nokia users go grab some

So that's that with the development of Nokia Ovi Suite 2.0. The application has now officially graduated from Beta status and its version 2.0.0.10 release is already being distributed to current beta users as we speak.

In the words of Nokia BetaLabs developers, the new Nokia Ovi Suite 2.0 is now "the one and only Nokia desktop application" phasing out the use of the various separately available desktop apps by Nokia such as Nokia PC Suite, Nokia Nseries PC Suite, Nokia Ovi Suite, Nokia Software Updater, Nokia Map Loader, Nokia Music, Nokia Lifeblog, Nokia Photos, Nokia Device Status, and Nokia PC Suite Enterprise Edition.

The existing Ovi Suite 2.0 beta users can get the release through the Web update, while the rest can find it at the Nokia website. The Ovi Suite will also be making its way into product CD/DVDs in Nokia handsets retail packages.

According to the Finish company the final version of the Ovi Studio has made the best use of the massive feedback it has received from the beta testers. The issues should all be solved and the app should be much more stable (and hopefully even more useful) now.

Currently Nokia Ovi Suite 2.0 supports exactly 142 different device models from Nokia (the number grows beyond 200, if you count in all different variants). You can download it by following this direct link(Windows OS, around 88MB).

If it still isn't exactly what you need, don't worry - Nokia are already working on the next version with the next Beta coming up in a few months.